more pumpkins than you can poke a stick at!

Pumpkins are getting a BAD RAP!

What with Dunkin’s White Chocolate Pumpkin Latte and Pumpkin spiced coffee, I mean how gross is that? Yikes people settle down. Mr Weiss and I, went for a drive a few days ago up Rte 30 North to a couple of our favorite farm stands. Boy they had pumpkins GALORE! So interesting, so fun, so weird… I’m talking about you PEANUT PUMPKIN???? I bought a few different types to try out.

and the Pie Pumpkin which I’d always wondered “is it worth it”…. well friends YES it is!

We have taken to making small 5 inch pies, being that there is only two of us… I don’t really want to encourage us sitting around gorging ourselves on a whole pie. We bought one smallish sized pumpkin and it was enough to make to 5 inch round pies… WELL worth the small effort of roasting and mashing. Using the basic Joy of Cooking recipe… you can’t go wrong.

Cut the butter into flour using pastry cutter or two knives. Add salt, sprinkle 1 tbsp at a time over flour mixture and keep adding until dough just barely holds together… (about 10 tbsp). Wrap and refrigerate 30 mins.

Filing

Cut pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, brush with oil and place cut side down on foil covered sheet pan. Roast in oven 375 F for about 30 mins until soft when pierced with fork. Cool and mash until smooth, you will need about 2 cups worth.

Combine everything together.. add pumpkin (if you have an immersion blender you can use this now to smooth out, otherwise leave. Poor into shell and bake about 45 mins, until filling is just set but jiggles when moves. We debated whether to bake off the crust first but half the recipes you find do and half don’t, we decided not to and it was just perfectly fine on the bottom.